Should I be concerned with how my tithe money is spent, or just give and trust the money is being spent properly by the church?
The privilege of giving to the Lord is such a blessing for believers. It allows us to sacrifice to the Lord in a way that pleases Him as we read in Hebrews 13:16, “Do not neglect to do good, to contribute [to the needy of the church as an expression of fellowship], for such sacrifices are always pleasing to God.” (Amplified Bible). Giving to the Lord is a privilege that is limited to believers for the Lord does not want the unsaved making any sacrifices to Him. Proverbs 15:8 tells us that, “The sacrifice of the wicked is an ABOMINATION TO THE LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.”
As to when collections are to be made and how much should be given, we read in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK let every one of you lay by him in store, AS GOD HATH PROSPERED HIM, that there be no gatherings when I come.” We can see from the Word that the believers were gathering on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7), so it was on this day that the Apostle Paul instructed the saints to take up a collection. We read also in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, “But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.”
Let us be clear about one important thing, WE CANNOT buy the Lord’s favors or blessings. However, if one is able to give to the Lord, He should joyfully give. The AMOUNT someone gives is not called into question here, but the ATTITUDE with which he gives is stressed. We should give “not grudgingly, or of necessity.” Indeed, through seeking the Lord’s guidance we should freely give to the Lord out of a cheerful heart, realizing that giving is a sacrifice that pleases the Lord. The amount we give is a matter between the individual and the Lord. If we cannot give cheerfully, then we need to re-examine our hearts to understand why we cannot rejoice in giving to the Lord.
Notice that I have mentioned “giving to the Lord” several times. When we give, we should realize we are not giving to our church, or assembly. We are giving to the Lord and our church group is simply a depository to keep the funds given until we seek the Lord’s guidance as to how to distribute the funds that have been given.
How should we use the Lord’s money that has been collected by the saints? Of course, material things, such as rent or building maintenance, utility bills, etc. must be taken care of. We read in Romans 15:26, “For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.” Here, the churches in Macedonia and Achaia determined to minister to the poor saints in Jerusalem. It is encouraging to note the condition of the hearts of the saints who ministered to the poor as we read in 2 Corinthians 8:4-5, “Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first GAVE THEIR OWN SELVES TO THE LORD, and unto us by the will of God.” Before these saints gave their money to the Lord, they “gave their own selves to the Lord.” How important is this order. It is ONLY when we first dedicate our lives to the Lord that we are able to cheerfully give to Him out of the abundance He has given to us.
In writing to the Philippians, Paul stated in Philippians 4:10, “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.” From this we learn that the saints in Philippi had given to the Lord so that they might minister to the physical of a devoted servant of the Lord…Paul.
These are the two main purposes of distributing collected funds that have been given to the Lord…ministry to the poor, and support for those wholly laboring for the Lord. After saying all that, I can answer your question simply with a YES, we should be concerned about what is being done with the funds that we have entrusted to our local church gathering. We have given our money to the Lord, and we should want to make sure that it is being spent in such a way that would please the Lord. Our church groups should be held accountable as to how the funds are being spent. Indeed, no money should be distributed at all without prayer, asking the Lord to show us how to spend HIS money in a way that will please Him. (479.4)